


A Bouquet of Flowers

by ElyBun



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Minor Character Death, Redemption
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2020-10-21 12:10:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20693312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElyBun/pseuds/ElyBun
Summary: “Why do you defend her? These beings are sworn enemies of the empire - I am merely doing my duty as an Imperial Officer.”As Yotsuyu began to stand, the Warrior tilted her head back, eyes focused on her with what seemed like a look of genuine concern on her face.But even as she regained her strength, found herself slowly rising, still she could not understand -"Why?"





	1. White Tulip

“_ You really _ ** _must_ ** _ learn to finish the job.” _

Her eyes widened, yet Yotsuyu could do naught but stare as Asahi loaded his pistol and _ fired _ once more. His efforts were yet in vain - Yotsuyu’s eyes were locked on the body in front of her - _ her. _ That bloody _ Warrior of Light _. Even now, the machinations that fueled the warrior behind her cold gaze yet eluded Yotsuyu’s understanding. 

She could feel the pain that racked her slowly subsiding - floating gently around her, tending to her wounds was a small fairy. It took time, and by no means was it as strong as the Warrior herself, yet the effort and commitment it put forth into tending her hurts was reminiscent of the Miqo’te standing just in front of her. Speaking of the Warrior…

Now that the pain had begun to subside, Yotsuyu found herself able to focus, and her gaze caught on the reason she wasn’t quite dead. The bullets her brother had fired merely moments before were floating a few fulms away from her face. They were caught, trapped by an aetherial barrier - courtesy of the Warrior of Light, of course. But even as she regained her strength, found herself slowly moving up from one knee to both, still she _ could not understand _ -

“_ Why? _”

Asahi spoke next, seeming to _ ignore _ his sister’s inquiry. “Tis true that a gaudy mirror and a _ handful _ of crystals make for a feeble summoning, but even the _ weakest _ eikon,” he emphasized with a _ glare _ and a _ smirk _ in her direction, “is a god of sorts. A threat that _ must be put down. _”

Yotsuyu nearly _ gagged _ in response. Asahi was always good with those _ masks. _The mask of an ambassador, the mask of one who had even a modicum of sympathy for the commonwealth.

The mask of a brother who _ gave _ half a damn.

No, he never cared - and truly, she could not fault him. Even now, she found it hard to care for these people she felt were _ so beneath _ her. 

Well, perhaps that wasn’t totally true. There was Gosetsu - if she truly felt remorse for _ one thing _ , she surmised, it was the day of Doma Castle. The bullet she lodged in his back, the pain she put him through - that was the _ only _ thing she felt she regretted in this moment.

“_ Why _ do you defend her? These beings are sworn enemies of the empire - I am merely doing my _ duty _ as an Imperial Officer.”

As Yotsuyu began to stand, the Warrior tilted her head back, eyes focused on her with what _ seemed _ like a look of _ genuine concern _ on her face. Her balance nearly faltered for a moment, and the Miqo’te took a step towards her - then gripped her tome, casting out her hand with a _ shout _ as another shot rang out. Another bullet from Asahi, this time mere _ ilms _from her face. 

Her focus was sufficiently taken away from Yotsuyu now, and the Miqo’te took a step towards Asahi, arcane energy suffusing into her fingertips. He merely _ laughed _ , that _ horrid laugh _ that grated Tsuyu’s ears, that laugh that stung of _ hands _ on her _ neck, cuffs _ on her _ wrists, _ and above all, _ shame - _and that shame made way, once more, to rage, eyes aflame and rebellion in her heart. 

The Warrior shared her rage, it seemed - from the growl that caught in her throat, the aether charged in her body, and the pure _ hatred _ that her gaze betrayed, Yotsuyu could only realize she’d found the one person in this _ hellhole _ that shared her hatred for her brother.

“Will you surrender to anger, then? _ Slay _ an _ anointed emissary _ to protect your _ foe _ ? To protect an _ eikon _ ? Hah! You cannot, of course! To do so would be to _ burn _ the bridges we have labored to build!”

The Warrior stopped mid step - her stance lowered, and, begrudgingly, her tome found its way hooked onto her belt once more. Asahi gave another _ laugh _ that assaulted Yotsuyu’s ears - _ she couldn’t wait to rip his tongue out, that he could never laugh again _ \- and spread his arms in a wide, cocky gesture.

“But I’m _ forgetting - they are already ash! _ That _ Doman woman _ has seen to that!” 

More words to grate at her ears, to stab at her sanity; to lump her in with those _ Domans? _ She may have apologized, _ groveled, _ even, at their feet, but that was _ before, now _ things were different. Should she find herself in front of those _ Domans _ once more, she would…

Her eyes furrowed, and her fists, upon the realization they were _ clenched _ , nails _ cutting _ into her palm, she felt them relax.

_ Perhaps they aren’t _ ** _all_ ** _ so terrible, _ she found herself thinking - her mind wandered to the child that defended her, that handed that succulent fruit of her labors back to her once more. That child had _ defended _ her, defended his _ belief _ in her. A foolish mistake, to be sure - if she’d been herself at the time, she likely would have shot him down where he stood. But now, she felt something tug at her heart, at the back of her mind. A feeling she’d not felt since she was a mere babe, subject to the whims of her father - _ thank hells his footprints no longer cursed this land with their presence _.

“The Empire _ cannot ally itself _ with any nation that refuses to renounce summoning - _ I believe I was most clear on that point! _”

The Warrior took another step forward, her focus locked onto Asahi, analyzing, judging, calculating her next move, _his_ next move, she realized. The Warrior - what was her name again? Something with a _C_, but she couldn’t remember, she’d never brought herself to _care_ before. Not that it _particularly_ mattered in this moment, yet her mind hooked on it, unable to focus otherwise.

“_ It should have been _ ** _mine_ **.”

There, something to distract her from the _ bull’s eye _ her mind placed on the Warrior. Asahi spoke with a _ growl _, fists clenched as he stepped forward, fury in his eyes that mirrored her own.

“The power he bestowed upon her… I should have been the one to govern Doma! I would have repaid his faith!”

Yotsuyu couldn’t help but _ laugh _ at that, and _ loud _. Asahi’s glare honed in on her now, and she found herself able to speak once more - the pain was all but gone at this point.

“You? _ Govern Doma? _ You could not even secure a _ guard _ position here; Zenos _ never _ believed in you. What makes you think _ you _ could do what _ I _ could not?”

“Shut your mouth! You have _ no _ right to speak! I could have _ saved _ Doma, could have kept _ control _ \- Instead, you betrayed his trust, you… you _ harlot _!”

_ Harlot _ . Memories flashed once more, prodding and stabbing at the back of her mind, of debts unpaid in death, Domans and Garleans alike taking control, taking _ her _.

_ Harlot _.

That was what they called her, as though _ they _ weren’t the ones that _ paid _ , the ones that _ spat _ and _ hit _ and _ used. _

“That’s all you _ ever _ were. Useless filth, _ worthless whore!” _

“**That’s enough.**”

_ So she can speak after all. _

The Warrior of Light stepped towards Asahi once more, hands raised above her head in a gesture of safety. “You’ve lost, Asahi. Yotsuyu is alive, and you’re a fool if you think we’re going to let you waltz out of here without _ some _ form of penance.”

“I _ would _ be a fool, normally. However, I believe that their focus might be occupied _ elsewhere. _” The crazed expression on Asahi’s face didn’t bode well - Yotsuyu knew it well. She was right, of course. It all happened in a single moment; Asahi’s arm raising, gun pointed directly at the Miqo’te, “Perhaps they’ll focus on the dying breaths of their beloved Warrior!”

A gunshot rang from his pistol, steel clattering against the floor,. The bullet stopped against the wall of Castrum Fluminis, and the Warrior looked back to Yotsuyu with wide eyes. Yet in all the emotions she could read, _judgement_ was not one of them - Yotsuyu didn’t know why she was thankful for that. She let down her outstretched arm - _she hadn’t even realized she’d done what she’d done. _The crazed look on his face replaced with fear, pain, realization; Asahi sas Brutus floated several fulms above the ground, impaled by a pair of aetherial blades, white as the moon itself. As her arm lowered, so did the blades, and Asahi by proxy, until his feet touched the floor - a wave of her hand and they were _gone._

He fell to his knees, blood dripping from the side of his mouth, and though the sight brought a _ smile _ to her lips, there was something else lingering behind it. Something _ bad, wrong _ , something she’d rarely felt in her _ life. _

_ “ _ These people _ …our people… _ they ignore the corruption which _ festers _ beneath the surface. Cast aside that which is _ dirty _ and _ broken _ . Speak not of things which would disrupt their _ dreary little lives _ . Like you, Asahi…always pretending not to see. You were the first…the _ first _ I swore to **kill**.”

“_ L...Lord Zenos… He will come… for you… _”

“Then let him come. The _ witch of Doma _ will greet him with open arms.”

As his body fell, lifeless, to the floor, Yotsuyu felt _ that feeling _ again, gnawing at the back of her mind. The pain was dull at first, though with each passing moment it throbbed and stung _ more _ and _ more _.

“I thought my hunger _ insatiable _, but… now, I am ...satisfied…”

This feeling… she couldn’t put a name to it, and that just made her frustration grow stronger. The world swirled around her, the pain in her head grew until she could hold on no longer.

Her hands moved to her head, nails gripping, digging into her scalp as she let out a _ scream _, one that even managed to shock and unhinge the Warrior herself. Yotsuyu fell back to her knees, and as she hit the floor, as her vision faded, the last thing she saw before her vision grew dark was the Miqo’te rushing over to her side, falling to one knee in front of her. 


	2. Hyacinth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No matter how much her heart sank, she refused to acknowledge that pang of worry that she’d felt when Asahi pulled the trigger. It wasn’t worry, she just wanted her vengeance. She wasn’t scared, she didn’t fear the idea of seeing the Warrior fall. It was just revenge. That’s all. 
> 
> Surely if she told herself that enough times, it would be true.
> 
> It had to be.

“Are you sure it’s safe to bring her back here?”

That voice, it was familiar. But it was so _ dark _, and Yotsuyu couldn’t open her eyes. Nor could she summon the strength to move - she was stuck in place, and all she could do was listen.

“I’m sure no one realized it was her,” came the reply of another voice. This one she recognized as the Warrior of Light, her _ savior _ \- the revelation almost made her feel sick. As her eyes finally fluttered open, she raised a hand to cover her face from the _ blinding _ light filtering through the nearest window.

“Her hair is different enough to distract anyone who-”

“That’s _ not _ what I meant. Is it safe for-”

“If you’re asking if I think she’s going to go on a _ rampage _, then the answer to that is no. I don’t think she will.”

A _ rampage _ ? They _ must _ be talking about her, now. Pupils dilated, darkness became dim, and finally she lowered her hand, sitting up and taking in her surroundings. Her first realization: she was in a bed. _ Obvious _ enough, Yotsuyu supposed - but still, she looked around, the furnishings of the room leading to the second realization. 

_ I’m in the Doman Enclave. _

Were they truly foolish enough to bring her _ here _ , of all places? Not to mention that this was the room she’d helped treat Gosetsu in - it was like they were _ trying _ to insult her. 

“How can you be sure? I know she saved you, and let me tell you I’ll be the _ first _ to thank her for _ that _ , but _ still. _”

_ Now _ she recalled who that voice belonged to - it was Lord Hien, the self proclaimed _ leader _ of Doma. Pah, like she’d recognize his sovereignty. Although he was right on one account - the Warrior of Light was a fool to bring her back here. Eyes flicked and scanned the room, looking for anything of use - _ there _. The window was unbarred - all she had to do was climb out to escape. Laboring in silence, Yotsuyu made every effort to uncover herself from the sheets wrapped around her without making a sound. The familiar feeling of the mat against her feet was reassuring, though she’d be leaving that behind soon enough…

“She’s back to her old self again - you said it yourself. You’ve been betrayed before, C’reilya, how do you know she won’t stab you in the back?”

_ C’reilya. That _ was her name. As much as Yotsuyu hated it, she did owe her a debt of her _ life _ \- a mental note, filed away, to spare the Warrior of Light with a life of servitude, come the day she reclaimed her rightful _ throne _ . Ever so carefully were furnishings moved aside, granting unrestricted access to the window - _ her escape _. She could focus on reconquering Doma some other time; for now, the sun’s rays on her face and the earth beneath her feet was all she longed for.

“Because I believe in her.”

All motion ceased - her hands were clamped tightly around the windowsill, already having begun to hoist herself up, yet Yotsuyu couldn’t bring herself to go any further. No matter how she willed, her body _ would not obey. _

Not now, not that she’d heard those words, that phrase a lifetime of _ pain _ and _ servitude _ in the making. 

“She had no reason to save me, but she did - I don’t think Yotsuyu even _ thought _ about it, it was so fast. Maybe it was partially driven by Asahi. After what she’s been through, I would be the last person to blame her, truthfully.”

_ After what I’d been through? How could she possibly- _

Oh. That’s right. Deep in the recesses of her memories, Yotsuyu recalled reading the file kept on the Warrior of Light. The _ echo _, it was called - supernatural abilities to sense both intent and strength, protect from the tempering of primals, and… 

“Our friend is right, my lord. Tsuyu still lives in her heart - Yotsuyu may be back, but I _ know _ that deep down, she has _ changed _.”

_ Gosetsu. That _voice was unmistakable. A curse escaped under her breath, words unspoken brought to her lips, halted yet by her desire for secrecy - the only part of herself she could control right now. 

“She deserves another chance, Hien. We gave it to her then - Asahi all but _ forced _her to do what she did. I would see her walk the path of light.”

The feeling that was taking control, wracking her nerves with a paralysis so long as she refused its bidding - it was the same as what she felt back in Castrum Fluminis. It was guilt, she realized - she felt _ guilty, _ and her mind ached at the _ thought _ of such _ weakness. _

_ Walk the path of light. _

Truly, it was madness - she was too far gone to even _ think _ about redemption - _ and to use that word _ , as though she had anything to redeem! Everything she’d done, every life she’d snuffed out, every face she stomped into the dirt, every bit of suffering and torment, all of it was _ just _ , after what the people of Doma _ did _ to her - they _ all _ deserved what she doled out. 

Still, that feeling of _ guilt _ gnawed away at her, forcing her fingers one by one to release their hold on her freedom, to lower herself back to the ground. Her head and her heart _ ached _, and another memory flashed in her mind, from Castrum Fluminis.

_ “I thought my hunger insatiable, but… now I am ...satisfied…” _

Those words were not her own - or were they? Asahi was the first she swore to kill, and from there, her bloodlust had only grown - had it truly been so easy to sate as to kill her brother? Could her reign of terror - _ truly _ , there was no other word for it, even Yotsuyu could agree - could it have been stopped, could her people have been spared? The flames of her vengeance - had they consumed Asahi first, incinerated his very _ being_; would things have been different?

Why did she care? Why was this at the forefront of her brain, gnawing away at her soul, chaining her down to this room like a _ dog _to its post?

Perhaps this wasn’t her _ prison _ \- but something else.

As much as Yotsuyu wanted to fight, to claim that her body moved of its own, truthfully, she knew she had control now - as one foot made way for the other, as the weight on her heart lifted, the guilt subsided, she found herself stopped in front of the door, her freedom disappearing into the distance. 

“Would you ask her, then? Would you be ready to accept the consequences if she says yes, and betrays you?”

Their voices were clear, now - the three were _ right outside her door _ . Either she _ had _ been stealthy enough to escape, or they simply _ didn’t care _. One hand moved her hair from the side of her head, and she pressed her ear softly against the door to listen in further.

“I would.”

That was _ C’reilya - _ the name had a _ pleasant _ ring to it, Yotsuyu realized. It rolled off her tongue _ nicely _, a fitting name for the savior of Eorzea. She ignored the part of her that longed to hear it more, and slowly found her way to the handle of the door. 

“And if she says no - if she declines, and fights, and wreaks her havoc-”

“I wouldn’t let it come to that. But she _ will not _ decline. Of this, I’m sure."

The Warrior of Light was placing her _ faith _ in the _ Witch of Doma _ . Had Yotsuyu heard tell of this a year ago, she would have laughed, tossed the idea to the side. And yet, that feeling of _ guilt _ was finding its way to the surface once more - _ seven hells, _ she hated that feeling. It was restricting, it was a _ tether _ , a ruler in the hands of a school-teacher meant to shape her to the _ correct _ way of being. It was a _ chain _ that took away her freedom.

The pain in her palm told Yotsuyu that she was clenching her fist once more, and with an aggravated sigh, she _ threw wide _ the door. A surprised Hien was the first face to greet her, and she noted his hand as it _ flew _ to the handle of his blade.

“You could at least speak as though I’m _ here _ , if you’re going to stand _ right outside my door. _ Disrespectful, the lot of you. I have half a mind to…”

Once again, the chain on her heart _ yanked _ and _ tugged _ , bringing her train of thought to a halt. Her eyes trailed over to Gosetsu first - his face bore an expression of surprise, with a dash of concern thrown in. Next to him was C’reilya, the Warrior herself - and on _ her _ face, what else but a bloody _ smile. _

“I’m glad to see you’re awake, Yotsuyu.”

A bow from her savior, Yotsuyu’s eyes widened, transfixed on the girl in front of her as she stood up.

“Thank you.”

She wanted to gag - _ how sickly sweet _ her smile was. How it invaded her chest like the guilt at her heart, and forced a warmth to her cheeks that made her want to slam the door and return to her bed as though she were still _ unconscious _.

“I didn’t _ save _ you. I just wanted to make Asahi _ suffer. _ It was his _ last _ act of desperation, and I wanted to see the light _ die in his eyes. _”

That part was true, at least. No matter how much her heart sank, she _ refused _ to acknowledge that pang of _ worry _ that she’d felt when Asahi pulled the trigger_. _ It _ wasn’t _ worry, she _ just _ wanted her vengeance. She wasn’t _ scared_, she didn’t fear the idea of seeing the Warrior _ fall_. It was just revenge. That’s all. 

Surely if she told herself that enough times, it would be true.

It had to be.


	3. Daffodil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Besides, Hien, I have something that you want for - and, no offense to you my friend , but even upon our first meeting did I find you lacking this one, crucial quality.”
> 
> “And what exactly could that be? The echo ? The Scions? ”
> 
> “I have faith .”

“You think just because you saved my life, I’m going to _ help _ you?”

A puff from her kiseru after she spoke; Yotsuyu sat on the far end of a long table, in Hien’s meeting room. To her left, the Domans - Hien, Gosetsu, and Yugiri. To her right, the Scions, whose names _ conveniently _ eluded her - not that she cared to remember either way - aside from the Warrior herself. C’reilya sat nearest to Yotsuyu, and to her side sat another Miqo’te with white hair, alongside an Elezen girl with locks of the same hue. 

“Not at all. In fact, we were _ quite _ sure you’d be completely opposed, to be honest.”

Yotsuyu raised an eyebrow, her eyes shifting over to C’reilya and giving an impersonal _ point _ with the end of her pipe to the Elezen after she spoke. 

“Alisaie Leveilleur. Granddaughter to the Archon Louisoix, and an invaluable member of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn.”

She nodded, taking another drag from her pipe, prompting the Miqo’te to clear her throat _ rather rudely _.

“_ Some _ of us may have aversions to smoke, Yotsuyu. Not that I expect such supplications to bear fruit, of course, but _ still _.”

Her gaze went back to C’reilya, but before the Warrior could open her mouth, the Miqo’te spoke again, cutting her off.

“Y’shtola Rhul, _ also _ a Scion of the Seventh Dawn, and _ here to help decide your fate _ ”   
  


“Interesting. And your opinion matters… _ why? _”

Hien let out an annoyed _sigh_, two fingers pinching the bridge of his nose in an obvious attempt to curb his temper. “_Because_, _Yotsuyu goe Brutus_, the Scions are here to give you a _proposition_. And if I were you, it's the one I would listen carefully to - the alternative _won’t _be to your liking.”

From the corner of her eye, Yotsuyu caught the Warrior standing up from her seat, and her attention fixed itself on that pink-haired Miqo’te once more. “He’s right, Yotsuyu. You should listen to what we have to say before you toss our offer aside - you’ll only be getting it once, after all.”

Another raised eyebrow, and Y’shtola took the opportunity to speak up, “You’re host to a _ Primal _ , and you’re a _ living _ host at that. We can’t just let you go off on your own to do whatever you please-”

“So you’d keep a _ leash _ on me, then?” Her eyebrows furrowed into a glare, and the Miqo’te merely shrugged in response.

“_ In so many words _.”

“So, you want me to _ willingly _ join your _ merry little band of misfits _ , after you _ took _ my land, _ destroyed _ my _ castle _ , and _ stripped me of everything I had _ to act as some _ peasant _ girl?” 

One final drag from her kiseru, and she slammed the pipe down onto the table, snapping it in half as she did so, “_ Laughable. _ And _ idiotic. _ I don’t know why you think I’d take more than a _ second _ to contemplate this ‘ _ offer _’ - it’s insulting!”

“The offer is a kindness, and for you to _ spit _ in the face of the Scions-”

“I wasn’t talking to _ you, Mistwalker. _ No, you can’t _ possibly _ expect me to just _ join _ you-”

“Well it’s not like you have much choice!”

Alisaie stood up, her chair sliding back behind her as she slammed her hands down on the table. “You haven’t given _ us _ much choice in this matter, but we’re _ trying _ to find _ some _ kind of equal ground. I mean, would you rather be stuck with _ us _ and have _ some _ measure of freedom, or would you perhaps prefer to be stuck _ here _ in lockdown with Hien?”

“I would _ have _ my land back, and the people of Doma as my subjects-”

“That’s not a bloody choice!” Alisaie clenched her fist, her eyes burning holes into Yotsuyu - her cold gaze in return only served to frustrate the Elezen more. “Not to mention that you _ lost _ , to start - you know we can’t let a _ primal _ have free reign! If you _ won’t _ come with us, and you _ won’t _ stay here, then there’s only one option, isn’t there?”

Now _ that _ made her blood boil. Yotsuyu’s eyes widened, and she was on her feet in a flash. Before she could speak, however, Yugiri’s voice rang out once more, her words igniting the same fire she’d felt back in Castrum Fluminis, the same fire that consumed Asahi - and nearly herself.

“If _ she _ won’t decide, then perhaps the people of Doma _ should _.”

_ Speechless. _ Her mouth hung agape, nails digging into the wood of the table - She hadn’t a chance to respond before Hien took the opportunity.

“I suppose it is the _ fair _ way to do things, isn’t it? The Scions are out on a limb here, and if she won’t accept their offer, then it falls to the very people she owes penance to decide, does it not?”

Y’shtola tapped her knuckles to her cheek in her telltale symbol of being deep in thought, eyes locked on Yotsuyu. “Not a bad idea at all, really. It would also help the people take back _ control _ ,” Yotsuyu felt her teeth _ grind _ at that word, “and it’s _ entirely _ fair.”

“You… you would give _ them _ more control of my life than _ me _?!”

“Tsuyu,” Gosetsu shook his head, leaning back in his seat as he spoke, “They are _ trying _ to give you control, but you are _ refusing _ them.”

“Their choices are between _ humiliation _ and _ torture! _ Truly, you expect me to throw away what _ little dignity _ I have left?” 

“Yotsuyu…”

C’reilya’s voice was soft, worried - her focus sufficiently drawn from Gosetsu, the Warrior continued, “you said that you were beyond redemption. Yet your actions at Fluminis proved that you’re anything but. You chose to save me, chose not to flee, chose to stay here for this meeting-”

“All choices I am _ beginning to regret _!”

“That’s enough!”

Her glare was matched with Hien’s own, evidently as _ fed up _ as she was. “You are getting this chance _ solely _ by the grace of C’reilya. Her voice alone spoke for you, and that is the _ only _ reason you are still here now. I told her I would give you a chance, but you are quick to throw this generosity back in her face.”

A scoff from Yotsuyu, eliciting an angry glare from the other scions as well. Not that she _ cared _ , in fact it was almost _ satisfying. _ “She’s a big girl - if she has a _ problem _ , she can bring it up with me _ herself. _ She doesn’t need you, sir _ white knight-” _

“I have had enough of this disrespect!”

“_ It looks like we can agree on something, then! _”

Without waiting for a response, Yotsuyu span on one heel and, kicking her chair to the side, marched out the nearest door, ignoring the cries of protest that followed.

* * *

The cool night air was the only solace Yotsuyu could find - and even then, she was still inside Hien’s _ manor, _ this garden the closest thing to _ freedom _ she had. The air was fresh, at least, and the running water gave her something to dip her hands in; a cold stream in contrast to the fire burning inside her right now.

_ “My fate will _ ** _not_ ** _ be left up to some _ ** _common _ ** _ rabble - they’re _ ** _beneath_ ** _ me!” _

And yet, even alone, she knew her words had no weight to them. 

“_ I”m completely at their mercy - either I make the choice, or... _”

Yotsuyu knew what would happen if she didn’t decide - it didn’t take a _ genius _ to know how the populace would vote. _ Death to the Witch of Doma _, a phrase repeated a hundred times, and should her fate be left to the populace? 

No doubt, those words would ring true one last time.

Of course, every option was a loss. Viceroy of Doma, her only superior being Zenos yae Galvus _himself_. How far she had fallen - Viceroy to peasant, peasant to _pawn_, _pawn to prisoner_. Make no mistake, the only choice offered to her was her _mode_ _of captivity_. The thought crossed her mind - things might have ended better for her had Asahi successfully ended her life in the castrum. A loss at every angle. No matter how she looked, loss, failure surrounded her, and she had _no control._ That bothered her more than anything - she swore when she met Zenos that she would never bow to the whims of others again. Her life had been spent under the heels of her father, of her family, of the _bastard_ that took her and did his best to _break her._

Not again. _ Never _ again.

And yet, even through the fire in her breast, clarity struck, and Yotsuyu was painfully aware of how powerless she truly was. How could her life have led to this? Everything that led here, from the Ala Mhigan rebellion that stoked the fires in Doma, that cut her down and took from her all she held dear. Everything that led to this point was caused by _them_, those _bloody Scions,_ _Eorzeans_ resisting their betters and, worst of all, trying to _bring her down_, to break her once more.

_ "None of this is my fault! I'm not the one who started that blasted uprising, who set this all in motion - She is! She's the one who chose to save me. I didn't ask for this! _"

No sooner had the thought to blame the Warrior occurred did familiar talons dig into her heart, her very _ soul _ . Guilt caressed her by the chin, tilting her head to see the truth even as it pierced her chest, ichor and soul being ripped from her essence. No attempt to avert her gaze worked, and the Witch of Doma’s heart _ sank _ as her mind reached the only conclusion it could, upon whose shoulders the blame _ truly _ lay. 

Having a conscience, Yotsuyu surmised, was _ absolutely terrible. _

* * *

“This is ridiculous - we’ve wasted _ far _ too much time on her already! Why are we _ humoring _ the notion that the _ Witch of Doma _ will concede?”

Petals grazed the floor, silent in their steps in approaching a meeting room torn apart. History, pride, _ essence, common sense _ told the spider-lily to run, _ flee and never look back, be caged no more, _ shouts of those she swore to kill reaching her ears _ . _ As strong their allure might be, however, they paled in comparison to the forces driving her forward, primarily that of guilt - and something as of yet unnamed in her cold heart. 

“_ Please, _Lord Hien, be calm-”

“_ There is nothing to be calm about. _ She has shown her true colors. I’m sorry to say, _ Yotsuyu spared your life on a whim, C’reilya - nothing more.” _

Her footsteps slow, but do not stop - ten yalms to the door, give or take. Angered voices clashed once more, and once more did the spider lily take another step forward.

“I won’t allow any judgement to be passed until she returns once more. Does not each Eorzean, each Ala Mhigan, each Doman citizen deserve to speak at their own trial?”

“_ Won’t allow it? _ Did you not hear the words she spat? Yotsuyu already spoke her piece-”

“And I have not. So at the _ very _ least, I believe I am owed a chance to present my case - though only she can speak for her own.”

Something in what the Warrior said struck deep in Yotsuyu’s heart, and the impending gloom of her ultimate choice - _ though truly _ , the choice had been made from the start - was no longer a swirl of black storm clouds, suffocating and choking all life. In their place, the muddied gray of a cloudy sky, one that speaks of _ possibilities, _of the future - rain, shine, sleet, or storm, all could lay ahead, but at the end of the day, the only thing set in stone was her drive. Her choice.

“Besides, Hien, I have something that _ you _ want for - and, _ no offense to you my friend _, but even upon our first meeting did I find you lacking this one, crucial quality.”

Step by step, fulm by fulm - Yotsuyu’s destiny awaited, mere moments away.

“And what _ exactly _ could that be? The _ echo _ ? The _ Scions? _”

“I have _ faith _.”

Petals curled around the door handle, furling tight as they trembled, eavesdropping once more on the Warrior and the Lord.

“I have _ faith _in the good of the people, Lord Hien. And I have faith in Yotsuyu.”

Sunlight slices through gray skies, and a newfound resolve replaces hesitation and uncertainty. Yotsuyu Goe Brutus threw wide the door, attracting the gaze of every soul in the meeting room. Silence, thick in the air, yet she cut through with ease, stepping forth to return to her seat - thankfully returned to its upright position - once more. No one speaks - not at first, not while Yotsuyu picks up the shattered halves of her pipe, holding them together in a seemingly vain attempt to restore what had been lost. However, bonds shattered cannot be repaired so easily - a truth Yotsuyu knew all too well. 

The pieces slip through her fingers, clamoring lightly on the ground beneath her feet. 

“_ My decision is made. _”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Half a year later and I finally update. It's been a while, hasn't it? Alot has happened, I've worked on a couple other fics that have had more or less the same degree of permanence in my attention span. 
> 
> My state is on lockdown. My classes are all online, but I'm healthy, at least, so that's a good thing - i'm counting my blessings.
> 
> When I originally thought up this fic, it was completely on a whim. Bouncing back ideas with a friend, something sprang forth, and I immediately wrote it down to capture my inspiration - just as fleeting now as it was then.
> 
> I really love this fic and it's premise. I have ideas, plans, many of which have changed drastically from the original plot I had set for this fic, which was originally nothing more than "what if Yotsuyu lived and was Scion?" 
> 
> It mostly is still that, of course, but I hope that in the coming chapters, whenever I end up publishing them, I can capture and write a story that people actually want to read.
> 
> Thanks for everyone still reading this in 2020, I love you all <3


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